Nightpaw and The Blood Moon
by thebritishkitten
Summary: This black she-cat may not seem like much but she's a fighter at heart, stumbling upon this forest must have been a message from starclan, but will tigerstar take advantage of this strong cat and use her against firestar. I'll try to make one chapter every day, i'm aiming for one to three good reviews, and if i get that goal i'll work on it right away!
1. Chapter 1

"Finally a soft place to rest" the she-cat mewed putting her tail over her paws she curled up, ready to fall asleep. Paw steps, and what is that fowl scent! She thought; ready to face whatever she met.

"I smell something, not a clan cat, maybe a rogue." Mewed the large dark brown tom.

"I smell it too, maybe they scared Firestar out and he's all on his own now." A sleek black-and-gray tabby mewed humorously while a large white tom with black paws stalked behind them.

Maybe if I creep into the undergrowth they won't find me… Snap! Fox-dung I stepped on a twig! "Who's there?" growled the one in front. I can't outrun them and I definitely can't fight them, my only option is to confront them. The slender black she-cat appears from the undergrowth the others bewildered to have not seen her, her emerald eyes twinkling with amusement at their astonishment.

"What are you doing on Shadowclan territory!" hissed the second one, sheathing his claws and ready to fight. "I'll claw your eyes out if you don't leave!" he spat. Mousebrain! Insults won't get you anywhere!

"Darkstripe, let's listen to what she has to say, what's your name?" the one in front asked. Can I even trust these cats? One of them just threatened me!

"I don't have a name." the she-cat says. Almost knowing what he was going to ask next the she-cat mewed,"I don't have a home, I just go where I can and leave when I want." The tom called Darkstripe glared at the she-cat," even so, if you're so sure of making me leave then I will go right away." The one in front had a glow of wonder in his eyes.

"Attack me." He mewed, the she-cat bewildered by the sudden command did so right away, from the side it looked like she missed, almost flying right past him but right after her paws touched the ground, about one tail length away, a trickle of blood came from the side of his pelt until you could see a stain of blood where the wound was made. "Where did you learn that move?" he asked, with a flick of his tail he commanded the cats behind him to keep their position.

"When you're moving around a lot, danger is lurking everywhere and no one's going to come to you and put fresh-kill in front of you so you have to learn to do things on your own." She mewed, pride in her eyes to see such a strong cat wanting to learn her tactics.

"I am leader of a clan called Shadowclan, you heard Darkstripe say it, yes?" He asked, the she-cat nodded,"I would be honored for such a skilled fighter to join my clan and would like you to come to it, I'm sure the rest would welcome you with open arms." This cat's asking me to join his clan and I only know one of their names!

"May I at least get a name, I am not very well acquainted with you to say the least." She mewed, not noticing the harshness in her voice. "Then I will consider this invitation, although I would like some time to think about it of course." The other two cats were staring wide eyed at their leader, as if he had just slaughtered a pack of dogs.

"I am Tigerstar, and this is Darkstripe and Blackfoot." He mewed at last," Tomorrow at sun high I will meet you at this spot, no later then that, if you don't come I will take that as a no but for now I will tell my clan that they can let you stay on the territory." The she-cat agreed to the deal, and then the group of cats left. Join a clan… I wonder what it's like.

The she-cat sprinted across the long rock way with strange monsters rushing past. And found a river. Lapping up a drink she sees a figure at the other side looking across at her. A slender ginger tom staring in the water bewildered, then jumping back. What's he doing, maybe he needs help. As the she-cat swims across the toms fur begins to fluff out, "What are you doing here, on Thunderclan territory?" What's with all this clan and territory stuff, I thought this was a forest not a training ground!

"I-I'm sorry you just looked dazed and I thought you need help." She meowed, shuffling her paws.

"Well you should leave if any of my clan saw you they wouldn't think twice about tearing your fur out." He purred humorously. "I'm Firestar, leader of Thunderclan." He added.

"Does every leader have star at the end of their name?" she asked. "Sorry I don't understand this forest very well." He nodded in acknowledgement of what she said.

"Yes they do, there are four clans, Thunderclan, Windclan, Riverclan, and Shadowclan." He mewed, "I'm the leader of Thunderclan, Tallstar's the leader of Windclan, Leopardstar of Riverclan, and Tigerstar is leader of Shadowclan." The tom spat the words Tigerstar. "And then there's Starclan, where all the warrior ancestors go to." He mewed.

"Firestar, where are you? We have to finish the patrol before sunhigh." Mewed a cat beyond her sight. The ginger tom nodded goodbye and left to his clan mates. I should find a place to rest but probably not on Thunderclan territory. The she-cat swam across the river and passed the monsters, to find the place where she had met the Shadowclan leader, sinking down into a comfy spot to sleep. I know what I will say to Tigerstar. I will become a Shadowclan cat.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The she-cat dreamt of her sister and father that her mother left at the twoleg barn, while the kit squealed as her mother walked away, reliving her mother's death and everything that happened before she arrived at this forest, the first eight moons of her life, all in one dream. She writhed in the spot in which she slept, awaking to the squawking of a crow. Her fur soon lay flat on her black pelt as she groomed herself, looking at the sky. "Nearly sunrise," she mewed to herself, remembering what Tigerstar had said, she strolled to a puddle, about three fox-lengths from the spot in which she slept, lapping up water, she stared at her reflection for a few heartbeats.

"She has your eyes." Mewed a handsome black tom, inching closer to a bundle of sleeping kits in a twoleg barn, mice scurrying in bundles of hay.

"And this one has yours." Teased a silver-gray she-cat, the tom resting his muzzle on her side, "They're beautiful, I wish we could keep them all." The she-cat mewed, sorrow in her eyes. "They're almost one moon old and we know what the twolegs will do if they find the kits here." She mewed. The mother picked up the smallest one, a black she-cat with emerald green eyes, squealing at the sudden awakening to her sound sleep. One of the other kits, mewing as her mother took away her kin, only a pale gray she-cat with eyes as blue as the night sky, sat there with her father as her brother and sister were taken away.

The she-cat shivered at the thought of that terrible moment. Her brother and mother dead from a dog pack while her father and sister stayed in the twoleg barn. _I need to move on, _she though,_ being with other cats will be good for me._

"Have you made your choice?" said a voice, as the she-cat spun around to see it was Tigerstar standing alone, staring at the she-cat.

"Yes, I accept your offer to join Shadowclan." She mewed, Tigerstar flicked his tail, signaling for her to follow him, he keeping a steady pace at first but then started to run, causing the she-cat to have to sprint after him. After a while they arrived in a gorse tunnel, Tigerstar slowing his running into a slow stride. The she-cat following him, he signaled for her to stay where she was, next the strong white cat known as Blackfoot, all the cats in the clearing murmuring and looking straight at her, she let of no fear-scent though, only kept her position. "Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting." Tigerstar called his voice ringing through the camp, as cats poured from openings.

"The clan needs warriors and I have found one suitable enough to call a warrior from Starclan." As he mewed there was a spark of pride in his eyes as if he had just pinned down a dog and turned it into crow food. The cats in the clearing were all shocked at this declaration of such a strong warrior. Tigerstar jumped down from the highrock, "From this day forward, until she has earned her has earned her warrior name, this apprentice will be called Nightpaw, in honor of her pelt that shines like the night sky." He announced, touching noses with Nightpaw he whispered into her ear, "Your pelt is shining and lighting up the clearing as if every other cat were in a shadow."

One cat mewed above the rest of the crowd, "Who will be her mentor?" Pinpointing the cat she saw a small tabby tom, anxious, like a newborn who just wandered away from their mother.

"Oakfur you will mentor Nightpaw." Mewed Tigerstar, looking at a small brown tom, Oakfur padded over to Nightpaw and touched noses with her. All the cats in the clearing were chanting the young she cats new name, _Nightpaw_, she thought, _my new name is Nightpaw._

The small tabby tom that had spoken up padded over to Nightpaw his eyes showing of sorrow, _did he want to be a mentor._ "Congratulations, and welcome to the clan, I'm Littlecloud." The cat mewed. _I see why he was given that name,_ she thought.

"Hello." She mewed, _I'm so mousebrained, it's been so long since I've had a decent conversation with another cat._

A dark ginger tom ran over to the she cat, a dark gray tom following him more slowly, "Hi I'm Rowanpaw and this is Cedarpaw." He mewed, before Nightpaw could reply he mewed, "c'mon I'll show you where the apprentices den is." _I'm a Shadowclan warrior now._


End file.
